It's a dog's dinner-but not as we know it!

Modern processed food can affect pets’ health in similar ways to people, as design consultant Louisa Jenkins discovered when her miniature dachshund, Eugene, developed a nasty skin condition.
‘He had flaky skin and dry lesions inside and outside his floppy ears,’ she says. ‘The vet tested for conditions such as ringworm, but everything came back negative. He thought it might be an allergy but didn’t suggest how to deal with it.’
Eugene’s ears went on getting worse, until Louisa decided to change his food. ‘A friend suggested an organic brand called Lily’s Kitchen. After a month, his ears cleared up and the problem hasn’t returned.’
According to holistic vet Richard Allport, skin conditions often clear with a more natural diet. ‘There are many problems with the ingredients in commercial pet food. Dogs and cats are designed to eat lots of meat but the percentage in most products is tiny and it’s usually bulked out with wheat, which is the most common allergen.’
An additional factor in skin sensitivity may be the over 400 permitted artificial additives in pet foods, including colourings and flavour enhancers, plus the large amount of sugar and salt. 
That’s not the only problem, says Richard. ‘Around two thirds of pet dogs and cats are obese. And there’s a huge increase in feline diabetes because commercial brands contain carbohydrates which shouldn’t be part of cats’ diets. The food predisposes them to diabetes, then the manufacturers sell expensive diabetic food to treat it.’
Richard refused to sell pet food but now he stocks Lily’s Kitchen and gives it to his own dogs. ‘Ideally, I’d give dogs and cats home-cooked food, but few owners have the time. Lily’s Kitchen is the best alternative.’
The brand was developed by former magazine publisher Henrietta Morrison with her vet brother Bob Ghandour.
‘Lily, my border terrier, kept getting ear infections with red sores and itchy skin,’ says Henrietta. ‘Eventually Bob said there was no point in giving her more hydrocortisone, the root cause had to be her food. The problem was there was no good natural food for cats and dogs, so he said, “Why don’t you do it?” ’
With advice from holistic vets, Henrietta spent two years sourcing good-quality organic ingredients for Lily’s Kitchen, which offers dry and wet food.
As well as chunks of real meat (in commercial brands the chunks are often powdered bones, mechanically recovered meat and wheat), her dog food contains starches, fruit and veg, in the right proportions for good nutrition.
Slow-cooked Lamb Hotpot has 60 per cent lamb, with brown rice, peas, squash, apple, pearl barley, broccoli, blueberries, carrots, plus essential fatty acids and herbs. My cat is munching Organic Dinner with Chicken, and the bonus is that the smell is as appetising as your own food (and the packaging is recyclable and compostable).  
It may take fussy eaters time to convert from flavour-enhanced products to a natural diet (like weaning children off junk food). But it’s worth it.
As veterinary consultant Rodney Zasman says: ‘We underestimate the vital importance of diet in animals to prevent and treat diseases. The ingredients in Lily’s Kitchen are balanced, good quality and organic.’ 

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/you/article-1178888/Health-notes-Its-dogs-dinner--8211-know-it.html#ixzz0eHNs63Nm